Interim Director Peer Review Management

Interim Director Peer Review Management

Job Title: Interim Director Peer Review Management

Location: London or Pune - Hybrid working model.

Application deadline: 1st September

Work Arrangement: The position is offered on a maternity cover contract basis. It can be based in our London or Pune offices on a hybrid working model.

About the Role

Nature Portfolio is seeking an experienced Director Peer Review Management to lead our editorial support operations and help shape the future of manuscript handling and peer review support across our journals.

This is a highly visible leadership role responsible for driving operational excellence, enhancing the author and editor experience, and ensuring the delivery of best-in-class support services across a global portfolio of journals. Working closely with editorial, publishing, technology and operational stakeholders, you will play a key role in improving workflows, leveraging data and technology, and supporting the continued growth and success of Nature Portfolio.

The successful candidate will lead a large international team and champion continuous improvement, innovation and high standards of service while maintaining Nature Portfolio's commitment to editorial quality and research integrity.

Role responsibilities:

• Lead a global Peer Review Management organization serving Nature Portfolio journals, attracting, developing and retaining high-performing talent across the function

• Oversee the delivery of a high-quality peer review support service for editors, authors and reviewers

• Drive improvements in manuscript handling efficiency, service levels and operational performance, through publishing workflow expertise, process optimization and operational excellence

• Partner with editorial, publishing and technology teams to implement system enhancements, workflow improvements and new operational processes

• Act as a key stakeholder in the development and adoption of technology-enabled solutions, including AI-assisted tools and data-driven approaches

• Apply strong decision quality, data analytics and quantitative skills to use operational data, performance metrics and industry insights to identify opportunities for optimization and service improvement

• Demonstrate courage in leading the implementation of new policies, guidelines and support processes, driving change and addressing complex operational challenges

• Build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders across the publishing ecosystem, applying conflict management skills to resolve issues and align competing priorities

• Maintain effective budget management and resource planning

• Support business continuity planning and operational resilience

• Foster an inclusive, high-performing culture through coaching, mentoring and leadership development

Experience, Skills, & Qualifications: Essential

• Significant experience in scientific, scholarly or academic publishing

• Proven experience leading large, geographically distributed teams

• Strong operational leadership skills with a record of delivering service improvements and managing complex workflows

• Experience managing change and leading cross-functional initiatives

• Strong analytical skills with the ability to use data and metrics to inform decisions

• Excellent stakeholder management, communication and influencing skills

• Strong people leadership experience, including coaching, talent development and organizational leadership

• Understanding of the research ecosystem and the needs of researchers, authors and editors

Desirable

• Experience working with publishing technologies, workflow systems and process automation initiatives

• Familiarity with AI-enabled operational solutions and data-driven service optimization

• Experience managing budgets and operational planning within a complex organization

• Understanding of peer review processes and research integrity standards